Posted on 04/30/2005 9:34:20 AM PDT by HonestChief
The plight of whistleblowers – those employees who sound the alarm about anything from dangerous conditions in the workplace to missed or ignored intelligence regarding our nation’s security – is a story that seems to grow stronger and with more frequency every day. My guess is that those stories have always been there; I suspect I am just paying closer attention to them now.
You see, I joined the “ranks” of whistleblowers more than one year ago when, on December 2, 2003, a major newspaper printed a story in which I confirmed for them what many of us already knew – we, the members of the United States Park Police, could no longer provide the level of service that citizens and visitors had grown to expect in our parks and on our parkways in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco. The world changed for all of us on September 11, 2001, and the expectations of police agencies across the country grew exponentially overnight. As the Chief of the United States Park Police, an organization responsible for some of America’s most valued and recognizable symbols of freedom, I knew it was my duty, as chiefs of police across the country do every day, to inform the community of the realities of the situation.
For being candid -- for being "honest" -- while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted from the Department of the Interior by armed special agents of another Federal law enforcement entity in December of 2003. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me.
Frighteningly, the issues I brought to light about our citizens' and visitors' safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed -- other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were more than one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren't able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone un-addressed.
Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want to be standing with my superiors among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Congressional committee trying to explain why we hadn't asked for help.
Despite the serious First Amendment and security implications of my case for each American, there has been no Congressional intervention, no Congressional hearings, no demand of accountability by elected officials for those who took action to silence me and who have ignored all warnings about the perils to which I alerted them. Following my termination and the publicity that accompanied it, it is unlikely that any current Federal employee will be willing to speak up with straightforward, accurate information about the realities of any danger we face.
Our legal appeals continue, and some of the administrative charges placed against me have already been thrown out. Through it all, it is becoming clear that Federal employees have little protection for simply telling the truth.
My story is told on a website, www.honestchief.com, established by my husband in December 2003 and maintained by him so that the American people could “witness” the issues in this case. The website has provided transparency to my situation by making key documents available for viewing, including the transcripts of depositions of top officials and their testimony during a key administrative hearing.
Suppression of information is spreading – gag orders, non disclosures agreements, and the government’s refusal to turn over documents. In agencies that span Federal service, conscientious public servants are struggling to communicate vital concerns to their true employers – you, the American public. Is anyone listening?
Teresa Chambers devoted nearly 28 years to law enforcement service. Her most recent position was that of Chief of Police of the United States Park Police Force, headquartered in Washington, D.C. United States Park Police employees are responsible for protecting national parks, monuments, and parkways in the Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City areas as well as providing liaison between the Park Police and National Park Rangers all across the country. They also provide dignitary protection for the President and other officials as well as a variety of law enforcement functions necessitated in the agency’s role as one of only a few uniformed Federal law enforcement agencies.
Before being sworn as the Chief of the United States Park Police in February of 2002, Chief Chambers served four years as the Chief of Police of the Durham, North Carolina, Police Department. There she was credited with significantly reducing crime while improving morale and retention of employees throughout the agency. Chief Chambers also served more than 21 years in the Prince George’s County, Maryland, Police Department. She retired from that agency in 1997 at the rank of major in order to accept the job of Chief of Police in Durham.
Chief Chambers has received her bachelor’s degree in law enforcement / criminology from the University of Maryland University College and a master’s degree in applied behavioral science with a concentration in community development from the Johns Hopkins University. Chambers is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI’s prestigious National Executive Institute.
Chambers became most recognizable in December 2003 as a whistleblower who shone a spotlight on staffing and budgetary shortages of the United States Park Police that continue to prevent adequate protection at some of our nation’s highest profile icons, parks, and parkways. For answering a news reporter and a Congressional staffer honestly, Chief Chambers was fired in July of 2004. In October, an administrative Judge dismissed two of the six administrative charges placed against Chief Chambers but upheld her removal. She is currently awaiting a review of her case by an administrative board and is prepared to move to Federal court if the case is not resolved at this stage.
Chief Chambers is available for interviews, guest appearances, and speaking engagements regarding her current situation. You can contact her through www.honestchief.com or at tcchambers@honestchief.com.
Through it all, it is becoming clear that Federal employees have little protection for simply telling the truth.
Most federal employees have an agenda and sometimes it backfires.
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